I've assembled as many interesting
weather facts as I can to make this world weather trivia page. Obviously
I didn't know all these facts off the top of my head. Some I discovered
myself, but the I had to hunt around for the vast majority. The internet
was, needless to say, a particulary handy source, especially regarding
American weather. Another good source proved to be old weather periodicals,
such as The Meteorological Magazine which seemed much more
intent on facts and figures than research. If you scroll to the bottom
of this page you'll find a list of sources. Incidentally, if any of these
facts turn out to be wrong, or records quoted get broken please
and let me know. Thanks.

July 12001 Northern and central
Ontario and parts of Quebec started July with some snow! In Kapuskasing,
Ontario 3cm snow fell.

July 21908 Scotland's second hottest
day on record; temperatures reach 32.8C at Dumfries, Dumfries & Galloway.
Taking the UK as a whole, this was also the hottest day of the year in
1908. Similar temperatures were reached on occasion in Scotland during
the 19th century.1942 Portland, Oregon's joint
hottest day on record; temperatures reach 41.7C.1968 36mm rain fell in just
9 minutes at Leeming, UK; this is one of the most intense sub-10 minute
storms on record in the UK. 351998 Italy's hottest day on
record; highs reach 45.2C in Catania. 26

July 31975 The wettest hour on record
in the world; 401mm rain falls in just 60 minutes at Shangdi, Nei Monggol
in China. 61976 The UK records its hottest
July day on record when highs reach 35.9C in Cheltenham.1995 New Zealand's coldest
night on record; lows drop to -21.6C at Ophir on the South Island.

July 41895 Queensland in Australia
records its coldest night on record when lows at Stanhope drop down to
-11.0C. 131911 Vermont's hottest day
on record. Temperatures reach 40.6C in Vernon. Just across the stateline
it's also New Hampshire's hottest day on record as highs peak at 41.1C
in Nashua. 9

July 51925 A 227 gram hailstone
falls at Plumstead in London. This is the heaviest hailstone recorded in
the UK. 141936 Temperatures reach 48.9C
in Gannvalley, South Dakota, the state's hottest day on record. Meanwhile,
Canada's deadliest heatwave, which would last until July 17th, began. Temperatures
of more than 44C in Manitoba and Ontario would kill 1180 people. Around
one-third of these deaths were caused by people drowning tyring to escape
the heat. 91937 Canada's hottest day
on record; temperatures reach 45.0C in Midale and Yellow Grass, both in
southern Saskatchewan. It's also the hottest day on record in Montana where
highs reach 47.2C in Medicine Lake. 91985 Temperatures reach 47.2C
in Saint George, Utah, the state's hottest day on record. 9

July 61906 Germany registers its
joint second maximum 24 hour precipitation as 260mm rain falls at Zeithain/Kr.
Riesa in Sachsen.1936 Temperatures reach 49.4C
in Steele, North Dakota, the state's hottest day on record. It's also Minnesota's
hottest day on record as highs reach 45.6C in Moorhead. 91982 Georgia registers its
record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 535.9mm rain falls at Americus.
On the same day temperatures in Milan, Italy reached 37.6C, the second
hottest day since 1980 here. 11, 25

July 71889 206mm rain falls in just
20 minutes at Curtea-de-Arges in Romania, the world's wettest 20 minutes
on record. 61937 North Island, New Zealand's
coldest night on record; lows drop to -13.6C at Chateau Tongariro.1954 Germany registers its
joint second maximum 24 hour precipitation as 260mm rain falls at Stein/Kr.
Rosenheim in Oberbayern.1982 France's hottest day
on record. Highs reach 42.7C in Le Luc, near St. Tropez.

July 81707 aka Hot Tuesday; several
men and horses are killed by heatstroke as temperatures reach an estimated
38C. This is probably the UK's hottest day since the Medieval Warm Period
(1100-1250 ish). 14

July 91914 Temperatures reach 35.9C
at Turku in Finland, Finland's hottest day on record.1933 Sweden's joint hottest
day on record; temperatures reach 38.0C in Ultuna.1982 Nebraska registers its
record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 334.0mm rain falls at York. 111968 Mississippi registers
its record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 398.3mm rain falls at Columbus.
112001 Temperatures in New York
City reach about 39.5C, the hottest day here in 24 years.

July 101911 Temperatures reach 40.6C
in North Bridgton, Maine, the state's hottest day on record. 91913 The USA's hottest day
on record; temperatures reach 56.7C at Death Valley, California.1936 The hottest day on record
in the Middle Atlantic Coast region of the USA. West Virginia (Martinsburg
44.4C), Maryland (Cumberland and Frederick MD, both 42.8C), New Jersey
(Runyon 43.3C) and Pennsylvania (Phoenixville 43.9C) all record their hottest
day on record.2002 During a record heat
wave across the western USA that saw many daily records tumble, Reno, Nevada
set a new all time record high when temperatures reached 42.2C surpassing
the old record of 41.1C set on 20 July 1931. On the 11 July this record
was equalled. A few other sites in Nevada set new all time records, including
Carson City where highs reached 40.0C just pipping the old record of 39.4C
set on 3 September 1950.

July 111888 Temperatures reach 47.8C
in Bennett, Colorado, the state's hottest day on record. 91936 Atikokan, Ontario records
a high of 42.2C during Canada's deadliest ever heatwave. This is the joint
highest temperature on record in Ontario. On the same day temperatures
in Winnipeg also reached 42.2C, the highest recorded temperature here since
records began in the 1870's.1949 Thousands of fish, averaging
10cm long, fall onto a 10 acre field in Hastings, New Zealand. 71971 The Australian capital
Canberra records its coldest night on record as lows drop down to -10.0C.
131990 North America's second
most destructive hailstorm on record. Softball size hail in Denver, Colorado
caused $625 million to property, mostly to cars and roofs. 7

July 121900 Temperatures reach 45.6C
in Basin, Wyoming, the state's hottest day on record. 91969 Western Australia records
its coldest night on record when lows at Booylgoo Springs drop down to
-6.7C. 131976 Northern Territory in
Australia records its coldest night on record when lows at Alice Springs
drop down to -7.5C. 131983 Northern Ireland's joint
hottest day on record; temperatures reach 30.8C at Shaw's Bridge, Co.Antrim.

July 131788 Hailstorms over
France damage a thousand communties from Touraine to Belgium. 71936 Temperatures reach 44.4C
in Mio, Michigan, the state's hottest day on record. Meanwhile, on the
same day Wisconsin recorded its hottest day on record when temperatures
peaked at 45.6C in Wisconsin Bells. 91975 Delaware registers its
record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 215.9mm rain falls at Dover. 111980 Maximum temperatures
peaked at 42.2C in Memphis, Tennessee and 40.6C at Atlanta Georgia, the
hottest weather ever recorded in both these cities. Meanwhile, the high
of 43.3C in Newington Georgia was just 1.1C short of the state record.

July 141936 Temperatures reach 46.7C
in Collegeville, Indiana, the state's hottest day on record. 91954 Temperatures reach 47.2C
in East St. Louis, Illinois, the state's hottest day on record. On the
same Montana recorded its hottest day on record as temperatures in both
Warsaw and Union peaked at 47.8C. 92000 A tornado in Pine Lake,
AB kills 12 and injures 140. This tornado was North America's deadliest
of 2000 but Canada's first killer tornado since 1987.

July 151911 Asia's greatest 24 hour
rainfall occurs at Baguio, Luzon, Phillipines on the 14-15 July. 1168 mm
falls. 71954 Virginia's hottest day
on record. Temperatures peak at 43.3C in Balcony Falls. 91995 Temperatures reach 41.1C
in Danbury, Connecticut, the state's hottest day on record. 92001 Seoul, South Korea records
its heaviest rain since 1964. 310mm rain falls, at a rate of nearly 100mm
per hour. 40 people are killed in Seoul and Kyonggi. 7

July 161916 North Carolina registers
its record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 564.4mm rain falls at Altapass.
11

July 181889 West Virginia registers
its record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 482.6mm rain falls at Rockport.
111942 Smethport, USA records
782mm rain in four and a half hours. 61955 The UK's wettest day
on record; 279mm rain falls in 24 hours at Martinstown, Dorset. Two people
are killed during this rainstorm. 11996 Illinois registers its
record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 429.5mm rain falls at Aurora. 112001 Savonlinna in south-eastern
Finland records a high of 31.9C, the highest temperature recorded in Finland
in 2001. 17

July 191886 A hurricane moving from
the Gulf of Mexico across northern Florida causes huge damage from Cedar
Keys to Jacksonville. 71926 Hong Kong recorded it's
wettest day on record when 534.1mm rain fell in 24 hours. 331960 Boise, Idaho records
its hottest day on record as highs peak at 43.9C.1977 Slow moving thunderstorms
over the Johnstown, Pennsylvania area dump 216mm rain on the town in just
7 hours and 305mm rain nearby causing flash flooding which kills 76 and
causes $424 million in damage. 191986 Charleston, South Carolina
records it's hottest day on record as temperatures reach 40C, beating the
previous record of 39.4C set the day before.

July 201913 1033.8mm rain falls in
24 hours at Funkiko, Japan. 231921 Montana registers its
record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 292.1mm rain falls at Circle. 111930 Washington DC's hottest
day on record. Temperatures reach 41.1C. 201934 Iowa's hottest day on
record; highs reach 47.8C in Keokuk. 201965 Missouri registers its
record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 461.8mm rain falls at Edgarton.
111976 South Australia records
its coldest night on record when lows at Yongala drop down to -8.2C. 131986 Savannah, Georgia's joint
hottest day on record. Highs reach 40.6C, the same value reached on July
12 1879. 201994 Seattle's hottest day
on record; temperatures reach 37.8C at the airport, the highest recorded
there since records began in 1945. 201997 Alabama registers its
record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 826mm rain falls at Dauphin Island
Sea Lab during the slow passage of Hurricane Danny. In total 932.4mm rain
was dumped by Danny here, 659.9mm of which fell in just 7 hours on the
19th! Find out more about Hurricane Danny here,
here
and here.
11

July 211911 The USA's coldest July
night on record; lows drop to -12.2C in Painter, Wyoming. 201930 Temperatures reach 43.3C
in Millsboro, Delaware, the state's hottest day on record. 91934 Ohio records its hottest
day on record as highs reach 45C in Gallipolis. 91944 Finland's wettest day
on record; 198.4mm rain falls in less than 24 hours in Espoo, Lahnus.1983 The world's lowest minimum
temperature on record; Vostock, Antartica records a low of -89.6C. The
highest temperature ever recorded here is -15.6C. Meanwhile, on the same
date temperatures reached a high of 37.8C in Milan, Italy, the highest
temperature recorded here since 1980. 251987 Unusually severe thunderstorms
over the Teton Wilderness in northwestern Wyoming produced an F4 tornado,
the highest elevation at which a F4 tornado has been observed. The tornado
travelled 24.3 miles, blew down a lot of trees and was 2.5 miles at one
point. 21991 Highs at Providence,
Rhode Island reach 38.9C the hottest July day on record here. It was also
the second day in a row that highs had topped 100F, something which hardly
ever happens here. 20

July 221926 Temperatures reach 42.2C
in Troy, New York, the state's hottest day on record. 91972 Minnesota registers its
record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 275.3mm rain falls at Fort Ripley.
11

July 231987 Thunderstorms in the
Minneapolis/St. Paul area of Minnesota dump 254mm rain in 6 and a half
hours, 133.6mm of which falls in just 2 hours. The ensuing flash flooding
kills 2 and causes $21.3m damage. Streets become rivers, car parls lakes
and storm sewers spout like geysers. 20

July 241930 A tornado cuts an 80km
long swath of damage through the Treviso-Udine area of northeastern Italy
killing 22 or 23 people.1936 Temperatures reach 49.4C
in Alton, Kansas, the state's hottest day on record. It's also Nebraska's
hottest day on record; highs reach 47.8C in Minden. 91952 Temperatures reach 44.4C
in Louisville, Georgia, the state's hottest day on record. 91995 Madrid, Spain's hottest
day on record as highs peak at 42.2C. 102002 Sydney, Australia's joint
second longest dry spell on record comes to an end. This dry spell lasting
34 days started on 20 June. Normally 129.8mm rain falls here in June and
98.9mm in July. 24

July 251933 Japan's hottest day on
record; temperatures reached 40.8C in Yamagata.

July 261874 A 30 minute cloud burst
over Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania causes flash flooding which kills more than
133 people. 71890 A F3 tornado hit Lawrence,
Mass at 9:10 in the morning. Tornadoes of this strength are rare
New England, nevermind this early in the day. 35 homes were destroyed and
60 were damaged and 8 people were killed and further 63 injured. 201943 Oklahoma's hottest day
on record; highs at Tishomingo reach 48.9C. 201957 One of the, if not the,
wettest 24 hour period on record in Japan occurs on the 25-26 July. 1109.2mm
rain falls in 24 hours at Saigo in the Nagasaki prefecture in the north-western
part of the southern Japanese island Kyushu. This area is prone to very
heavy rain, and during the 24 hour period in question several stations
registered more than 800mm rain in a 24 hour period. 41960 Salt Lake City's hottest
day on record; highs reach 41.7C. 201970 Sydney, Australia's joint
second longest dry spell on record comes to an end. This dry spell lasting
34 days started on 23 June. Normally 129.8mm rain falls here in June and
98.9mm in July. 241979 The USA and Texas registers
its record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 1092.2mm rain falls at Alvin.
11

July 271897 Maryland registers its
record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 374.7mm rain falls at Jewell. 111983 Germany's joint hottest
day on record; temperatures reach 40.2C at Gärmersdorf bei Amberg.
Meanwhile across the border in Austria it's also the hottest day on record
as temperatures reach 39.7C in Dellach im Drautal.1989 A thunderstorm at Yuma,
Arizona proved to be one of the worst on record here. Winds gusting to
90 mph reduced visibility to near zero in blowing dust and sand. 64.8mm
rain fell in the storm, the record 24 hour total for July and this is more
than the city normally gets in a whole year. Flash flooding and high winds
caused property damage totalling millions of dollars.2002 Locally heavy thunderstorms
and flash flooding affected parts of Ohio. Among the worst hit places were
Dayton and Wilmington with 95.8mm and 94.5mm rain respectively.2002 Frequent thunderstorms
had been affecting Italy and the Balkans for a little while, and on this
day 109mm rain fell at Bari on Italy's southern Adriatic coast in the 30
hours ending at 1200 GMT. The monthly average here is just 25mm.

July 281819 The southern Mississippi
was struck by what became known as the Bay St. Louis Hurricane. This storm
was considered to be the worst in 50 years in this area which desolated
much of the Mississippi coast. 201921 Temperatures reach 39.3C
in Basel, one of Switzerland's hottest days on record. Meanwhile, at the
same time there was a heatwave over France; on the 27th highs reached 38.3C
at Toulouse and 38.9C at Strasbourg whilst on the 28th highs reached 38.3C
in Paris and 40C in Strasbourg. Meanwhile, the Netherlands records its
hottest July day on record when highs reach 36.9C in Maastricht. 231930 Temperatures reach 45.6C
in Greensburg, Kentucky, the state's hottest day on record. 91934 Temperatures reach 47.8C
in Orofino, Idaho, the state's hottest day on record. 91995 Temperatures in Yuma,
Arizona reached 51.1C, the hottest day on record here. 201997 5 people were killed,
$200 million worth of property damage was caused and 120 mobile homes and
19 houses were destroyed when thunderstorms dumped 254mm rain just west
of Fort Collins, Colorado and 156.7mm in the city itself. 20

July 291898 Temperatures reach 48.3C
in Prineville, Oregon, the state's joint hottest day on record. 201930 Temperatures reach 46.1C
in Holly Springs, Mississippi, the state's hottest day on record. 91986 Intense thunderstorms
over Rhode Island dumped 141.5mm rain and hail close to 1.5cm in diameter
on the aiport in Providence. 158.8mm rain fell at Point Judith whilst Narrangansett
recorded 153.1mm rain and hail accumulated to a depth of 10cm here. 201987 A thunderstorm at Janesville,
Wisconsin generated gusts up to about 165km/h which flipped 2 planes over
and blew another 100m down the runway. 20

July 311976 A stationary thunderstorm
dumps more than 250mm rain over the Thompson River Canyon in northeastern
Colorado. This rain funnels down the narrow canyon producing a wall of
water between 2 and 2.5 metres high which causes a 40km long path of destruction
from Estes Park to Loveland, Colorado killing 156. 71987 27 people were killed
when Canada's second worst tornado affected Edmonton and parts of Strathcona
County. The tornado track was 40km long and up to 1km wide. Softball size
hail and 40-50mm rain fell, causing flooding in parts of the city. 27 people
perished and a further 253 were injured.